How to be a Great Quitter
In The Dip, Seth Godin not only argues that quitting is good, but that it is the key to success. He suggests that we only pursue ventures that we can be the best in the world at and quit the rest. He points to Jack Welch of GE, who eliminated divisions that were not #1 [...]
Age of Conversation Sequel
The Age of Conversation web collaboration project in which a community of authors write one page of a book on the topic of conversation. The proceeds go to charity and a sequel is currently in the works with more authors and more topics. One of the marketing tactics that is being deployed is bum rush [...]
Meatball Sundaes Are Delicious
Seth Godin’s latest zany title, Meatball Sundae was everything we have come to expect from the Godin marketing machine. Here are some of the most memorable ideas from the book and my interpretations. New Marketing Favors Some Approaches Over OthersSeth describes organizations who are used to cranking out meatballs, or commodity products who then try [...]
How to Create Raving Fans
Awesome customer service is very difficult to achieve, unless you meet a guardian angel who specializes in creating raving fans. Raving Fans is a short story about a new area manager who learns how to revolutionize his customer service by not just creating satisfied customers, but by creating raving fans. From the people who brought [...]
BrandSimple Review
I just finished BrandSimple by Allen P. Adamson and I thought it was a fairly valuable read. The thesis is really simple. To create a strong brand you must find a simple idea that is differentiated and relevant. You then build the brand by focusing on specific points in the customer journey, and craft the [...]
How Customers Think
We are constantly uncovering new insights into the way the mind works which can be used to better understand the consumer. I highly recommend How Customers Think by Gerald Zaltman, an extremely insightful and practical book that is written by an academic but in non-academic speak. For those who do not have time to read [...]
Stumbling on Happiness
Stumbling on Happiness is a fantastic book on Psychology that discusses some interesting phenomena in human behavior that effect our pursuit of happiness. The author, Daniel Gilbert, previously wrote fiction before becoming a professor at Harvard. I picked out a few marketing implications from the book. We tend to think of money in relative terms. [...]
The Placebo Effect in Marketing
The brilliant book, How Consumers Think, has a very interesting insight on the power of placebos that connects with the book’s theme on the impact of unconscious thinking on consumer behavior. The Placebo Effect, which is typically used in a medical context, also has very profound marketing implications. Our perceptions, expectations, and beliefs have a [...]
Is Reading Too Much Bad For You?
Albert Einstein said “Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” I am currently reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and he recommends that you don’t read the [...]
Tom Peters on Marketing
I just finished the forward thinking book Re-Imagine! by Tom Peters. It was a phenomenal read and a great thought provoker. I especially recommend the 4th section of the book, “New Business, New Brand” which focuses on marketing. Tom argues that in marketing, experiences are king. The winners are those who can transform a physical [...]
